Rearing Demons-Chapter 13: Beyond the Barren Canyon

"Why is this place so huge?" Yur grumbled, skimming across the air. Though he hadn't quite mastered long-distance flight, he'd learned to soar for brief stretches if he launched himself high enough, speeding up what felt like an endless journey.

He'd been traveling for more than a day, and the scenery remained depressingly barren. Occasionally, he came across another Imp Mother or a Bahirath pool, where he would pause to feed and rest. His appetite seemed insatiable—every hour, he devoured around twenty imps.

"Zul, how about a chat?" he called out as he glided. Silence. "Oh, come on! You're the only one I ever talk to, so humor me."

[I am but a tool!]

"Tools can speak." Yur rolled his eyes. "I was a slave once, but I could still talk." Despite his coaxing, Zul remained mute. Sighing, Yur changed tactics. "Fine. Here's something else—what do you think my final goal should be?"

It struck him recently that he had no true ambition. Escaping slavery had once been everything, but now that he was free, he felt adrift. Becoming the strongest? Surviving? Those phrases meant little when he had no idea what lay ahead.

Freedom was both a gift and a curse—endless possibility, yet no direction.

[What does the Host desire?]

"I'm really not sure," he admitted. "All I ever wanted was freedom, and now that I have it, there's...nothing else."

[Host should remain free! No goals! Survive!]

"That's...unexpected," Yur said. He always assumed Zul would push him to become some unstoppable force or follow in Mal's footsteps.

[I am a tool for the Host. Nothing more!]

"Still, give me something to aim for," he pressed. "Quests kept me busy before, but just wandering without purpose is...boring." He couldn't think of a better word than that—stark boredom.

[Generating Quests...]

[Complete!]

His spirits lifted at the sight of new prompts. Over the past few days, he'd hoped to find excitement—fierce beasts, unique landscapes—but all he'd done was run, fly, eat, and repeat. It wore on him mentally.

[Zulmasharr Quest: Find a Mother Tree Sapling!]

[Reward: 30 Demon Points!]

[Zulmasharr Quest: Slay a Vashra Demon!]

[Reward: 50 Demon Points!]

[Zulmasharr Quest: Slay a Morruk Demon!]

[Reward: 100 Demon Points!]

[Zulmasharr Quest: Leave the Barren Canyon!]

[Reward: 20 Demon Points!]

[...]

A dozen or so quests scrolled across his vision, ranging from trivial to daunting—gathering items, hunting demons, searching out landmarks.

"Wow. If you can hand out so many missions, why didn't you do it before, Zul?" he asked.

[I respond to the Host's wishes!]

He only half understood, but no matter. It gave him tangible goals. Some tasks he might accomplish by chance, while others required more deliberate hunting. Either way, it was something to do.

He skimmed the list again. "I really want to try fighting," he said, recalling that the only battles he'd experienced so far were life-or-death struggles where he nearly died instantly. "Any shortcuts to finding a good fight?"

[It is up to the Host!]

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Fair enough. At least now I have some idea."

He pushed onward, days blending into nights—if one could call the dim, crimson sky "night." It took nearly a week before he reached an imposing wall of rock.

[Quest Complete!]

[Reach the Border of the Barren Canyon!]

[Reward: 20 Demon Points!]

"So this place is called the Barren Canyon?" he muttered, irritated. A whole week of running and gliding, with nothing new but more Imp Mothers and Bahiraths. No wonders, no rare trees, no demons aside from those he'd already grown used to.

"This is ridiculous!" he shouted, stomping his foot. "I'm climbing out of here. Zul, claws!"

In response, his arms and legs shifted from a mostly human shape to a more bestial form. His nails extended into razor-sharp talons, emerging from his fingertips like a cat's claws. With a crouch, he leapt into the air, scanning the impossibly high cliff.

"Zul, set a timer or something," he ordered. "I need to be back before the Erept Mother matures. If it spawns Erepts while I'm gone, they might wreck my Imp Mother or the Asheseed Relic." Given all the effort he'd poured into acquiring them, he couldn't risk losing them.

[I shall warn the Host when it's time to return!]

"Great." He nodded, digging his claws into the wall to climb. At intervals, he let go and used his wings to ascend, resting them whenever he switched back to scaling. After hours of punishing ascent, he finally glimpsed a distant ledge.

"There it is!" His heart surged with relief. "I thought I'd be crawling forever!" Channeling renewed energy, he launched himself upward in repeated bursts, covering the last stretch in minutes.

"Wooooo!" he whooped as he blasted over the lip of the canyon.

[Quest Complete!]

[Leave the Barren Canyon!]

[Reward: 20 Demon Points!]

Floating over the canyon's edge, his hands reverted to human form. He stared at the view beyond in awe.

"W-wow..."

A land of overgrown trees, stone structures, and demons of various shapes sprawled before him. None seemed immediately hostile, but unlike the barren wastes he'd left behind, this place teemed with life.

[Host has discovered: The Land of the Mother!]

[Reward: 100 Demon Points!]

"What?!" He nearly choked on air. "These rewards are insane—didn't I nearly die just for five or ten points before?"

[The Barren Canyon held little of value!]

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[Venturing farther reaps greater gains!]

He ran a hand over his jaw, recalling his near-fatal struggles for mere scraps in the past. "Guess that makes sense," he allowed. "Well, time to see how much I can gather before heading back."

Gliding down, he landed on a patch of slimy green grass that squelched under his feet. The environment was nothing like Afloria's. Eagerly, he explored further, astonished at the bizarre flora. Some trees grew serpentine vines from glittering limbs; others had translucent trunks with literal hearts beating inside them.

"What is that?" he said, pointing.

[That is a Heart Devourer tree, a type specific to Zulmasharr.]

"And that one?" A white-barked tree had leaves floating an inch above the branches, unconnected to the twigs.

[That is...]

On and on, he questioned Zul like an excited child discovering the world for the first time. Eventually, he came across a behemoth of a mother tree—an Erept Mother, significantly larger than the Imp Mother at his base. Its thick branches dripped green slime that congealed into pods. From each, a newly formed Erept emerged, about the length of Yur's forearm.

They had charcoal-black bodies, faintly glowing red rib cages, and horns jutting from their heads. Oddly, their wings sprouted near their neck, and their mouths and eye sockets glowed a malevolent crimson.

"I wonder how they taste," Yur muttered, feeling a sharp pang of curiosity. He advanced on one that had just broken free of its gooey pod. It hissed, but he paid it no mind. Erepts were stronger than Imps but still laughably weak compared to a Vashra.

"Relax," he said, almost amused. "I just want a bite."

The newborn demon thrashed its miniature wings in a futile attempt to escape. With barely any effort, Yur seized it by both wings and began pulling them apart.

ERRR ERRRR!

A shriek tore from the Erept as he ripped it in two, green blood splattering across the ground. Yur lifted one of the halves to his mouth, sinking his teeth in.

"It's...kinda sour."